1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 3 · The Status Quo · 33 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 3 · Chapter 13: The Appearance of Lord Varāha
3.13.393.13.41

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.13.40

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.13.16inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

दंष्ट्राग्रकोट्या भगवंस्त्वया धृता

विराजते भूधर भू: सभूधरा ।

यथा वनान्नि:सरतो दता धृता

मतङ्गजेन्द्रस्य सपत्रपद्मिनी ॥ ४० ॥

daṁṣṭrāgra-koṭyā bhagavaṁs tvayā dhṛtā

virājate bhūdhara bhūḥ sa-bhūdharā

yathā vanān niḥsarato datā dhṛtā

mataṅ-gajendrasya sa-patra-padminī

Translation

O lifter of the earth, the earth with its mountains, which You have lifted with Your tusks, is situated as beautifully as a lotus flower with leaves sustained by an infuriated elephant just coming out of the water.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Earth’s Beauty in the Lord’s Care

  1. 1

    The earth is praised as fortunate because the Lord specifically sustains it.

  2. 2

    The world, with its beautiful mountains, rested on Lord Boar’s tusks.

  3. 3

    Its beauty is compared to a lotus flower with leaves held by an elephant emerging from the water. The comparison expresses appreciation for the earth as the Lord holds it.

Key points from the purport
  • The fortune of the earth planet is praised because of its being specifically sustained by the Lord; its beauty is appreciated and compared to that of a lotus flower situated on the trunk of an elephant.
  • As a lotus flower with leaves is very beautifully situated, so the world, with its many beautiful mountains, appeared on the tusks of the Lord Boar.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Threat and anger → Rescue and wonder. Divine protection appears amid cosmic confrontation.

Chapters 13–19 of Canto 3: Varāha, Jaya and Vijaya, Hiraṇyākṣa. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 13: The Appearance of Lord Varāha

Lord Varāha appears from Brahmā’s nose, lifts the submerged earth, and receives the sages’ prayers.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.13
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. daṁṣṭra-agrathe tips of the tusks
  2. koṭyāby the edges
  3. bhagavanO Personality of Godhead
  4. tvayāby You
  5. dhṛtāsustained
  6. virājateis so beautifully situated
  7. bhū-dharaO lifter of the earth
  8. bhūḥthe earth
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does seeing the earth as sustained by the Lord change your appreciation of its beauty?

Practice

Notice one beautiful feature of the earth today and offer a brief prayer of appreciation to the Lord who sustains it.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Earth’s Beauty in the Lord’s CareThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 3.13.40? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories